Seamless change must be enabled change: Whether with physical moves, job rotations, system upgrades, financial changes, or any other transitions that come to mind, we often expect change to come with a flip of a switch or through a series of basic handoffs. Out with the old, in with the new. And have it done by the end of the day. For complex change, transitions require more thought and attention to be seamless. Consider motivation, capacity, capabilities, relationships, interdependencies, scope, sequence, timing, measurement, etc. Paraphrasing David Chase: we can all sit around and decide we want a new normal, but eventually somebody has to do the changing. *

I recently completed my version of a think week, taking some time for reflection in New York and West Texas during a natural work transition. My think week was apparently less stringent than the isolated-cabin-in-the-woods version of the think week, but I also oriented more toward actionable changing in addition to just thinking. Here are five questions to consider when structuring a think (change) week: Confirm Commitment Do you really just want a vacation? If you’re primarily looking for a break from work, consider taking a nice vacation. You can step away from usual routines, visit different places, and socialize with friends and family. You can physically and mentally refresh. A vacation is not the same as an intentional, structured, immersive thinking experience. In my case, I knew I wanted a solo week with…

Most organizations have routines, either formal or informal, to introduce changes into the environment. This if often cyclical with some form of stimulus, incubation, and strategic acceptance followed by tactical realization and new (or refined) activities in ongoing operations. Challenges arise when something breaks the continuity of the cycle. A critical leader leaves, the organization is overly insular, strategic decisions aren’t clearly cascaded to execution, incentives aren’t aligned, etc. When (not if) the cycle is interrupted, the key to exceptional performance is how quickly the cycle can pick back up. The longer the cycle stagnates, the more fuel it needs to restart. *